Newly released figures from two popular web analytics firms show a PC market that is essentially static. The most interesting detail: Apple's push to update its installed base to the latest OS X version has largely succeeded, while Microsoft is less successful with its efforts to get Windows 8 users to move to the free 8.1 update.

If a lot of what Apple announced at this week's WWDC seems familiar, that shouldn't be a surprise. Increasingly, the owners of big computing platforms are building features designed for a multi-device world. And in that world, PCs and Macs are no longer at the top of the food chain.

Latest worldwide usage figures for PC/Mac operating systems and browsers show little change in November, a traditionally slow month. But a close look at the numbers shows that the free Windows 8.1 and OS X Mavericks upgrades were a hit.

Some people are still in denial about the rise of the Linux operating system with the Chrome Web browser interface, Chrome OS, and its hardware: the Chromebooks. The experts say, however, it's the one segment of the PC market that's growing while everything else shrinks.

In five and a half years, Android has come from nowhere to crush Apple and Microsoft in the mobile device market. How long until PC OEMs decide to take a gamble on the winning mobile OS and load Android onto PCs?

The acquisition will help bolster McAfee's position in network security, which could be a further in-road to the enterprise where such solutions are absolutely vital. It also gives Intel a lucrative side project away from the ailing PC market.

Microsoft can ride Windows 7 upgrades in the enterprise for a bit, but the dismal PC sales picture is worrisome for the company's flagship OS---especially if it can't get tablet and smartphone traction.

Apple has updated its XProtect definitions after a new malware variant appeared, targeting Russian social network users. One security expert says the increase in OS X-specific malware is "troubling." However, the increase in Mac malware should not be overblown.